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TOOLS: Where the Fossils Are

Mammal diversity hit its zenith during the Miocene epoch, when horses, camels, rhinos, saber-toothed cats, and a wealth of other furry creatures roamed North America. Researchers who want to tease out patterns in mammal evolution and distribution can dig into The Miocene Mammal Mapping Project from the University of California, Berkeley. The site enables users to pinpoint mammal fossil localities from the Miocene and late Oligocene epochs, between 30 million and 5 million years ago. The database, a 5-year project that was completed last month, houses information on more than 3400 sites in the western United States gleaned from the literature and unpublished records. Users can map fossil finds by categories that include formation, species, and age. Clicking on a locality summons data such as the site's time range, environment type, and mammal groups.